Friday Footy Frenzy - The Courier - May 17, 2024
Join David Brehaut and Greg Gliddon for this week's edition of Friday Footy Frenzy, covering all things BFNL and CHFL/CHNL.
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00:00Welcome to another edition of Friday Footy Frenzy.
00:03I'm David Brio and I'm joined once again by Greg Glidden.
00:07Good afternoon, Greg.
00:07Good afternoon, David.
00:08Another lovely week outside it's been
00:10and let's hope that's for some good football
00:12and netball across the weekend.
00:14I'm sure we will get that.
00:15And of course, this edition of our Friday Footy Frenzy
00:20is once again brought to you by Sheds and Shades by Design
00:24and we thank them for their sponsorship and support
00:27of our programme this year
00:30and also their sponsorship
00:32of Central Highlands football coverage.
00:34So great to have them on board.
00:36And Greg, just a little taste
00:39of what you've got to preview in a few moments.
00:42It's fair to say last weekend wasn't the best round
00:44we've seen in the Ballarat Football Netball League.
00:47Fortunately, this week looks blockbuster.
00:49We've got the top four sides all playing each other.
00:52So that'll be the focus this week.
00:54Excellent.
00:55Okay, let's go straight into the Central Highlands
00:56Football League because we've got a big one.
00:59It's the reigning Premier Gordon
01:01against maybe the heir apparent in Bungaree
01:05at Gordon on Saturday.
01:07This is one we've been waiting for.
01:09It's great that it's come early in the season, Greg.
01:11Round six, we don't have to wait too long for it.
01:13I don't think it's going to give a full indication
01:16of what we might expect in the final series
01:19if they are to meet again
01:20and there's no guarantees that will happen
01:23but certainly all indications are at the moment
01:26that these two are heading to finish in the top four
01:30and be certainly involved in those big encounters
01:35and assignments in the last couple of weeks of the season.
01:37But whether they meet, we don't know
01:40because it's all about which side of the draw you get in.
01:42Do they clash in the preliminary final
01:44if they get that far?
01:45Do they clash in the semi-final?
01:47There's a lot of bridges to cross
01:49but at the moment, looking forward to this.
01:51Now, Gordon, interestingly,
01:53while they haven't lost a lot of players this year
01:55from the grand final side,
01:57well, that's the way it looked,
01:58they were actually last week down to 14 players
02:01from that premiership side going around.
02:04So there's been quite a change.
02:05Still got a lot of experience
02:07and it hasn't stopped them from winning.
02:08They're unbeaten and Bungaree is unbeaten.
02:11Now, Bungaree, they've got, like several teams,
02:15they've got quite a number of injuries to key players.
02:18So we're not going to see the number one Bungaree lineup
02:23and we're not going to see the number one Gordon team.
02:27So whatever this game provides,
02:30there'll still be a lot of questions unanswered
02:33and a little bit left in the tank.
02:34I've really had trouble deciding who I'd go for here.
02:37Do I go for the wily old experience
02:41and know-how of the back-to-back Premier and Gordon
02:44or do we go for Bungaree,
02:47the team that looks the number one side this year?
02:50They are premiership favourite in my mind.
02:52They don't want to be called that.
02:53They want to play it down, but bad luck, demons.
02:57You're right at the pointy end of the moment.
03:00You know, there's a lot of ground to cover yet.
03:02We've got, we're not even, you know, near halfway
03:05and they're missing teams, players.
03:08But look, they're looking the goods.
03:10They look to have a really good side
03:13that they've put together.
03:14Got a wealth of experience
03:16and I think they can cover the injuries
03:20and win this one.
03:22So I am going for Bungaree to get home at Gordon.
03:28Never an easy ground to win on
03:31as I just try and find a fixture again.
03:34But I think they can get home in this.
03:37So the demons to beat the Gordon in a ripping game
03:41and I'll be there to call the game
03:45and that'll be our live stream.
03:46So really looking forward to that.
03:48You can catch that on our website,
03:50either live or if you can't be there
03:52and you're at the game, you want to recap
03:53or you're at another game,
03:55yeah, you can catch the replay on our website.
03:57So that's the match of the round.
04:00So let's quickly run through the other games, Craig,
04:02because we're eating into your time as well,
04:05which you would say is not unusual,
04:07but let's put the shoe on the other foot this week.
04:12Springbank at home against Creswick.
04:14Well, Springbank's nearly at the point of no return
04:16for my liking.
04:17They haven't got a win in four games.
04:21They've lost to a couple of good teams,
04:23but they need this one just to get on the board.
04:27I think they can, but I'll tell you what,
04:29Creswick, you know, here's an opportunity for them.
04:33If they could roll the Tigers,
04:35Springbank might even struggle to make finals.
04:37So they just need this.
04:39I'm going for the Tigers,
04:40Springbank to get the points at Wallace.
04:43Dunstown-Daleshirt shapes up as a pretty good game.
04:47This is at Dunstown.
04:48I'm going for the Bulldogs.
04:49They're still dealing with a few injuries as at Dunstown,
04:52but I think Daleshirt just,
04:54they're showing they know how to win.
04:56They've put a good side together,
04:57got some classy players,
04:59couple of new recruits last week,
05:01and I think they can do the job against Dunstown.
05:04They're honest.
05:05They're still looking at the top eight,
05:06but they're going to have their work cut out.
05:08They're going to be really caught in that middle group,
05:11I think, this year, Dunstown.
05:12Rokewood at home to Bunningham.
05:14Rokewood's a bit like Springbank to a degree.
05:16They've had the one win so far.
05:17They really need a win to get their season going.
05:20Very unlucky, you'd say,
05:22against Daleshirt to concede two goals
05:26in the last 30 seconds or 20 seconds of a game and lose,
05:30so they'll be still kicking themselves over that,
05:32but I'm giving them another chance.
05:35I can't catch them,
05:36but we'll go for the Grasshoppers
05:37to defeat Bunningham at Rokewood,
05:40but this is a game that Bunningham will be keen.
05:43They'll have a good side together,
05:45and there's not going to be much in this, I wouldn't expect.
05:48Learmonth and Warbra,
05:49one of the big rivalries in the competition.
05:51The neighbours don't like each other, Greg.
05:54Few of those around, aren't there?
05:56You haven't got much to say today, have you?
05:57You're saving up, aren't you?
05:58I'm saving up, yep.
05:59All right, okay.
06:02Learmonth getting back into winning form against Warbra,
06:04which have had two early wins,
06:06so they'll be wrapped with that.
06:07That's a great start to the season.
06:08Made the most of their draw.
06:10Balland at home to Skipton.
06:12Last year, Balland didn't kick a goal in this fixture,
06:14that was at Skipton, at home this year.
06:16But Skipton, I think they're going along okay,
06:18and they will win that quite comfortably
06:20and stay right up there at the pointy end of the ladder.
06:22Hepburn against Clunes.
06:24Clunes back in winning form last week.
06:26Hepburn's been up and down,
06:28but I think the Boroughs at home get the win over the Magpies.
06:31And Beaufort yet to get a win.
06:33They're up against Newland.
06:34Newland, you feel like we've hardly seen them,
06:36but we haven't.
06:37They had that early game where it was called off,
06:40and they're coming off a bye this week.
06:42They haven't really...
06:45Well, they haven't needed to, really.
06:46They beat Skipton, but we really haven't seen them rev up.
06:50Obviously, we're going to have to wait
06:51until they play some of the big guns, if you like.
06:54Not that I'm putting down Skipton,
06:56but we need to see more of them.
06:57But I think they're heading in the right direction,
06:59and they'll win this game easily against the Young Crows.
07:03And Cardam Linton has the bye.
07:06Okay, Greg, you've got 25 seconds to...
07:08No, you haven't.
07:09No, you haven't.
07:10You've got 27 seconds to deal with...
07:13You'll get through it.
07:14Be a barrel.
07:15Ballarat Football Netball League,
07:16but yeah, a couple of big games,
07:18and I guess the biggest is at the furthest point
07:21from Ballarat, all the way down to Clark Oval at Sunbury.
07:23It's going to be a long drive down there
07:25to Clark Oval on Saturday,
07:27but really looking forward to Sunbury,
07:30who I think are probably the most improved team
07:32in the competition.
07:33Your first visit to Clark Oval?
07:34Will be my first visit to Clark Oval.
07:35Big ground.
07:36You'll enjoy it.
07:37Up against, obviously, the reigning Premier in Dali.
07:40Dali's dropped the one game,
07:42but they're just going along beautifully at the moment.
07:44Sunbury last week to hold North Ballarat
07:47to just three goals for the entire match.
07:49One goal for the first three quarters.
07:51It was a pretty spectacular effort.
07:54What North Ballarat were able to dish up, who knows?
07:56It was a bit of illness going through the club at the time,
07:58so we don't know if that's a true reflection
08:01of where they stand,
08:02but right now you've almost got to be backing Sunbury
08:05at Clark Oval and the big expanses out there
08:07as an opportunity of getting an early season victory
08:11over a real challenger for the Premiership.
08:13The other game that sort of snuck up on us as well
08:15is the Melton versus East Point contest
08:18down at McPherson Park,
08:19where Melton, it's actually one versus four.
08:22So as it turns out,
08:23we've actually got the top four sides playing each other.
08:26East Point have done everything they needed to do
08:28for the last three weeks.
08:29They've beaten the teams they should be beating,
08:31but Melton are a different kettle of fish altogether,
08:35and round one, East Point were way short against Dali.
08:39I mean, that's the result that sticks in your mind
08:41when you look at this, right?
08:42They've won the games they have to.
08:44They're probably on the way that they can make the finals
08:46by beating the tight teams in the lower bracket,
08:51but can they make an impact against the Bloods,
08:55who have shown already that they're up and running?
08:59It's not so much about winning this game,
09:01it's all about why they don't want to be competitive.
09:05They don't want to be blasted away
09:06like they were against Dali when it was 11 goals.
09:09They need to be in the match, don't they?
09:11Because if they get blown away,
09:13they're really just playing for perhaps fourth or fifth,
09:16make up the numbers, and that's it.
09:18So they've got some star-studded players, East Point.
09:22I like what East Point are doing,
09:24and they're definitely a different team
09:26than what we saw in round one.
09:27Obviously, Jackson Merredin to the team
09:28makes a huge difference on his own.
09:30So we'll see what happens there.
09:33Melton, though.
09:34Melton, Melton.
09:35You've got to tip Melton over to Curzon Park.
09:37Bacchus Marsh, Melton South.
09:39Bacchus Marsh probably showed their best form of the year
09:41last week against Sebastopol.
09:43Who knows what Sebastopol, where they stand at the moment.
09:46They're still the great big mystery of the competition.
09:50Melton South are coming off the bye.
09:51We'll see what happens with the Melton South team.
09:54They're a week-to-week proposition.
09:55At this stage, you can't look past Bacchus Marsh,
09:57so you expect them to win pretty comfortably.
09:59Redan, Lake Wendouree.
10:01Lake is a sneaky chance.
10:03Redan has to start as pre-warm favourites.
10:06But Lake is within four goals of East Point last week,
10:10towards the end of the third quarter.
10:11They're competitive.
10:12They're in it.
10:13You've got to tip Redan.
10:14Redan, if they're a genuine finals team,
10:16they just have to get this one done.
10:17So that's the other one.
10:18And the other game is North Ballarat versus Sebastopol,
10:21and it really is a case of who knows.
10:22You would expect North Ballarat to be better
10:25than what they showed last week.
10:26Sebastopol, we're still not sure about where they're at.
10:30Right now, North Ballarat's got to start as favourite, though.
10:32Yeah, look, Sebastopol probably,
10:34we've spoken about it a little bit,
10:35and they've been the shock disappointment
10:37of the competition so far.
10:39And they're a bit like we spoke about
10:41with a couple of sides in the Central Highlands.
10:44They're at a point where they need to start
10:46at least showing some form.
10:47They're a bit of the springbank, aren't they?
10:48Yeah, springbank, yeah.
10:50If they don't win this, they need to show that,
10:52wait a minute, we're on the way back.
10:54And anything less than a win for,
10:58or I'd say anything less than a decisive win
11:00for North Ballarat in this one will be
11:03fall short.
11:04You've got to ask some questions, don't you?
11:05Yeah.
11:06And just quickly, of course,
11:07the other feature of the weekend
11:08is Sunbury versus Darley in the netball,
11:11which is one versus two as well.
11:13So that'll be another big contest.
11:15All right, so some, you know,
11:16we use the word blockbuster a lot.
11:18It's nice to throw it around,
11:19but I think we have got a couple of blockbusters
11:21in our football at the weekend.
11:23We've got Mel, sorry, Sunbury and Darley.
11:26Perhaps just a real test for the Eastern Lions
11:30down there, Sunbury against the reigning Premier.
11:32And of course, in the Central Highlands,
11:34we have the reigning Premier, Gordon,
11:36up against the emerging, well, Bungaree,
11:39though we're just one short.
11:40Pretty much the same for both, isn't it?
11:41Really, it's the reigning Premier
11:42versus the number one challenger.
11:43Yeah, well, Bungaree was only one game short
11:44of making that final last year,
11:46grand final last year,
11:47and they've certainly improved their list since then.
11:49So looking forward to that.
11:51So thanks for joining us, Greg,
11:52on this edition of Friday Footy Frenzy,
11:55brought to you by Sheds and Shades by Design.
11:57And we'll catch up with everyone during the week
12:01and keep an eye open,
12:04both in our print edition of The Courier
12:06and also online for all your football news.